Granite Quarry is named for what’s underneath
The quarries east of Salisbury have cut granite for generations, and that same granite sits under many Rowan County homes. Granite usually makes a good, sound well bore with water in its fractures. Weathered granite near the surface is gritty and sandy, which is one reason casing has to be seated properly in solid rock: so sand and grit stay out of the pump.
Radon and uranium: a granite question
Granite and similar rocks contain small amounts of natural uranium, and the radon gas it produces dissolves in groundwater. North Carolina studies have found that most private wells in the Piedmont carry some radon, with the highest levels in granite; uranium above the drinking-water limit turns up in a small share of wells. A lab test for radon and uranium is the way to know.
Out east toward Gold Hill
The far east of the county, around Gold Hill and Rockwell, edges into the Carolina Slate Belt, the same rock that held the old gold mines. Wells there are worth an arsenic test as well.
Permits and rules
Rowan County Environmental Health permits private wells in Rowan County: a permit is needed before a well is drilled, repaired or abandoned, and a new drinking-water well is sampled by the health department after it’s completed.
GraniteQuestions from Salisbury
Local answers.
Is radon in well water a concern in Rowan County?
It can be, especially where wells are drilled into granite. Radon dissolved in water is released into the house air when water runs. Testing tells you the level; treatment options exist if it’s high.
Why does my Salisbury well pump keep wearing out?
Grit from weathered rock, short cycling from a failing pressure tank, and low voltage are the usual suspects. A pump replaced without fixing the cause tends to fail early again.
Who permits wells in Rowan County?
Rowan County Environmental Health. The same office samples a new drinking-water well after it’s built.
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